title: Effect of hepatitis C infection on HIV-induced apoptosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection was reported to negatively affect HIV disease and HIV infection has a deleterious effect on HCV-related liver disease. However, despite common occurrence of HCV/HIV coinfection little is known about the mechanisms of interactions between the two viruses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied CD4+ and CD8+ T cell and CD19+ B cell apoptosis in 104 HIV-positive patients (56 were also HCV-positive) and in 22 HCV/HIV-coinfected patients treated for chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. We also analyzed HCV/HIV coinfection in a Daudi B-cell line expressing CD4 and susceptible to both HCV and HIV infection. Apoptosis was measured by AnnexinV staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCV/HIV coinfected patients had lower CD4+ and CD8+ T cell apoptosis and higher CD19+ B cell apoptosis than those with HIV monoinfection. Furthermore, anti-HCV treatment of HCV/HIV coinfected patients was followed by an increase of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell apoptosis and a decrease of CD19+ B cell apoptosis. In the Daudi CD4+ cell line, presence of HCV infection facilitated HIV replication, however, decreased the rate of HIV-related cell death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In HCV/HIV coinfected patients T-cells were found to be destroyed at a slower rate than in HIV monoinfected patients. These results suggest that HCV is a molecular-level determinant in HIV disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laskus
authors.forename: Karen V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Kibler
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chmielewski
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adair
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horban
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stańczak
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radkowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D002460:Cell Line; D060085:Coinfection / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male